Tobacco-curing furnace.



PATENTED SEPT. -29, 1903.

N. A CARTER TOBAGGO GURING FURNAGE. APPLIOATION PILED SEPT. 16. 1902.

NO. 74033&

NO MODEL.

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UNITED STATES 'atented September 29, 1903.

PATENT- OFFICE.

NEILL A. CARTER, OF RAYNHAM, NORTH CAROLINA.

- TOBACCO-CU RING ,FU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forrn ng part of Letters Patent Ne. '740,230, date-d September 29, 1903.

Application filed September 15 j 1 902. Serial Ne. 123,52 4. (No model.) i

To ai; whom it may cancer-n;

Beit known that I, NEILL A. CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Raynham, in the County of Robesonand State of ,4

North Caroiin a, have invented new and useful Tobacco-Curing Furnace, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates' to tobacco-cnring furnaces. i V The object of the invention is in a ready, simple, thoroughly feasible, and practica'l manner to elect curing of tobacco and to eliminate from the procedure object-ionabie features heretofore present in furnaces of this character. i i

A further object is to efiect positiveoontrol of the heat, therebyto obviate overcurin g.

With these and other objects in View 'as will appear as the nature of'the invention is better understood, the same consists' in the novel Construction and combination of par'ts' of a tobacco-cnring furnace, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed.

In the aocompanying drawings, forning a part of this specification, and in which like n-umerals of referenceindicate corresponding parts, there is illustrated one form of embodi-' ment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changed asto shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit thereof, and in these drawings- Figure 1 is a view in horizontal section through a tobacco-barn equipped with the furnace of the present invention..- Fig, 2 isa View in plan, on an enlarged scale, ofthe inechanism for controlling the supply of fuel to' the furnace. Fig. 3 is a similar view ot' a draft or air-supply regulating device. Fig. 4: is a View in front elevation of one of the urnaces.

Referring to the drawings, l designates generally a barn, which may be of the usual or any preferred Construction and provided with ordinary hanger-sticks, (not'shown,')

from which the tobacco to becired is suspended. As the Construction ol' the b'arn is a matter that will be largely controlled by the tastes of the builder, any particular Construction thereof is not shown. The barn in this instance is shown'as provided with two furnaces, and as each is a counterpart of the other a description of one will serve for both. The 'urnace (designated generally 2) is constructed of sheet metal and is provided with a fiat bottom 3, a rounded top 4, and a fnnnei-shaped or constricted rear end 5. The front end 6 of the furn ace hasassociated with it a draft-regulating device 7, (shown in detail in Fig. 3,) 'which'will presently be described.

Arranged in the furnace is a series of burners 8, preferably of the kind adapted for burningliquid hydrocarbon-in this in stance gasolene -the bnrners being arranged in pairs upon branch pipes 9, coupled to feed-pipes 10, arranged within and extending without the front wall of the furnace, the branch pipes being provided with valves 11, one for each burner, by which one or more burners of the series may be cut out of use, as desired. Access to the burners is had 'through sliding doors 12, arranged on one side of the furnace and working between guides or keepers 13, thedoors being provided with suitable handles 14, by which they may be opened or closed, as desired. Eachfeed-pipe 10 connects exteriorly of the furnace with a branch pipe 15,*carrying a fuel-regulating device 16, presently described, and each branch' pipe coupling 17, with which'connects a pipo 18, leading to a tank 19, containing' the gasolene or other hydrocarbon, the pipe 18 being provided 'with a valve 20, by which to cut off supply of fuel to the feed-pipes 10.'

With the funnel-shaped or constricted rear end 5 of the furnace connects one end of a -branch fine 21, the other end being connected through suitable coupiings with a main flue 22, extending without the front end of the ;barn and Upward to the roof, the said flues being provided to carry od the fumes and smoke 'from the burning fuel.

'The means for controliing the supply of air to the'furnace comprises a disk 23, having a semicircular slot 24, ada'pted to coact with a similar slot 25, (shown in sectionin Fig. l and in dotted lines in Fig. 3,) the disk being held associated with the front of the furnace bya bolt or rivet 26, carrying a fixed pointer connects with one member of a threeway 27, the central portion of the disk being divided off into spaces indicating degrees of i heat, ranging, say, from 100 Fahrenheit to 225 Fahrenheit, the temperature of the furnace being 100 when the disk is in the position shown in Fig. 3, at which time the smallest supply of air permissible will be supplied to the t'urnace. The disk is provided With a handle or knob 28, by which it may be turned.

The means for regulating the supply of fuel to the burners (shown in detail in Fig. 2) comprises a casing 29, through'which fuel from the tank 19 passes, and in the casing is arranged an ordinary plug-valve, (not shown,) to the shank 30 of which is connected ahandle 31, constituting a pointer. The upper face of the casing is divided similar to the disk 23--viz., into divisions extending from 100 to 225, these divisions determining the quantity of fuel to be supplied to the burners to give a certain degree of heat when the damperor disk 23 is set at the same point on the dial of the disk as that to which the handle 31 is set. Under the arrangement described when the valve 30 and damper 23 are once adj usted the furnace will require no attention on the part of the operator to see that the desired temperature is maintained other than to keep a supply of fuel within the tank 19. Thus by knowing what quantity of fuel the burners of either one or both of the furnaces will consume in a given timesay from sunrise to sunset-and the temperature desired to be determined it Will only be necessary to set the valves in the casings 29, when the operator may be assured that the results desired will be attained.

The furnaces have no communication With the external atmosphere except through the openings in their fronts, so that danger of fire is reduced to a minimum.

- It is of course a desideratum to prevent the the smoke from the burning fuel from contacting with the tobacco to be cured, as such would inevitably destroy its flavor, and by the provision of the flues 21 and 22 this is positively obviated.

The tank 19 will be supported at a level above that occupied by the burners and will be by preference located at some distance from the barn, so as to' lessen danger of accident from fire.

All of the parts of the furnace of this invention are constructed with a View to Simplicity, certainty of operation, and durahility in use and are such that in case of danage or breakage repairs may easily be effected.

As herein shown,the fu rnaces aresupported above the floor of the barn upon legs 32; but it will be obvious that they may be otherwise supported without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The outer ends of the furnace are herein shown as disposed flusl with the ends of the barn thus to bring the draftregulating means within easy reach of the operator; but it is to be understood that, if preferred, these ends may be disposed wholly within the barn, if found necessary or desirable.

`What I claim is- 1. The combination with a tobacco-curing barn, of interiorly-arranged furnaces comprising casings and a plurality of hydrocarbon-burners within each casing, said casings being provided within the barn with openiugs and with sliding doors covering said openings through which access may be had to said burners and* said casings being provided with means for admitting and for regulating the adnission of fuel and air, accessible exteriorly of the barn only.

2. The combination with a tobacco-curing barn having a Wall provided with openings, of ,furnaces comprising casings connected with said openings and extending into the barn, said casings being rearwardly contracted and connected by elbows with a single eXit-flue for the unconsumed products of combustion, a hydrocarbon-burner within said casings, and means for admitting and for regulating the admission of fuel and air, accessible externally of the barn only.

In testimony that I claim the foregoi ng as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

NEILL A. CARTER.

Witnesses:

W. J. DILLON, J. H. JOCHUM, Jr. 

